1. Field of the Invention (Technical Field)
The present invention relates to a safety apparatus and a method for “safing” high-voltage devices during maintenance and repair; more specifically, this disclosure relates to an improved shorting stick whereby electrical equipment can be rendered safe against electrocution.
2. Background Art
High voltage devices such as capacitors and cables must be discharged of energy before they may be safely handled. For low-energy components, a simple shorting stick fashioned from a non-conductive handle connected to a grounded hook or bolt may be used.
If a person were to touch a grounded stick to a higher-energy component, a dangerous arc could be generated. To mitigate this hazard, simple known shorting sticks have a current-limiting resistor mounted on a non-conductive handle. The worker first contacts the resistively-grounded lug to the high voltage device to discharge any remaining energy and then, after a moment, touches the grounded lug to the high voltage device. The shorting bar is left in place or a grounding clip is connected to the component to ensure that it remains shorted.
The problem with existing designs of shorting sticks is that the stick must be lifted off the resistive lug and moved to access the shorted lug. The resistor is mounted off-axis and is covered by a sheath which makes it unwieldy when held at a distance. The resistive lug is mounted at the end of the stick and the shorted lug at the opposite end of the resistor, toward the user. This means that the user must move the stick the length of the resistor into the internals of whatever the component is mounted within, often other high-voltage components.